Grandson Walter Melvin Ehrhart was the son of Walter Lee’s daughter Esta and her husband Melvin Captis Ehrhart (1889-1976). He married Vera Laura Neuhaus in June 1941 and they had one daughter, Veronica Rae Ehrhart (1946-2024). According to his obituary, parts one and two, Walter Melvin was the proprietor and funeral director of the Walter M. Ehrhart Home for Funerals from 1952 to 1979 and a member and former secretary of the York County Funeral Directors Association. He served as the Dallastown, PA borough manager from 1974 until his death, and had formerly served as the borough’s secretary treasurer for 24 years. He was “a member of the St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Dallastown and former president and secetary of the parish council; life member, secretary, and former president of the Dallastown Lions Club; a grand master key member of the International Association of Lions Clubs; and a member of Lodge 1592, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Rescue Fire Company, Dallastown, and a the York County Firemen’s Association.
Charles Yessler Hake (1881-1961) operated the Penn Park Photographic Gallery for 15 years until 1922.
According to the inscription on the reverse of the above photograph, it shows us “Daisy, Violet, and Pansy Crozier.”
The sisters were the children of Sidney Herbert Crozier (1873-1919) and Nancy Jane “Jennie” McLain (1873-1961), both natives of Illinois, as were the sisters.
Violet G. Crozier (1895-1982) married an airline and decorated military pilot named Frank Allen (1907-1966). Frank would make a good subject for further study.
Betsy Daisy Crozier (1896-1987) married Samuel Russell Willey (1895-1951). She married James Kirkland (1900-1976) after Willie died.
Patricia B. “Pansy” Crozier (1905-1980) married Archibald Axel “Archie” Werelius (1897-1982) whose parents were born in Sweden.
Below is what appears to be another, earlier photograph of the sisters which contains no identifying information.
The sisters had a younger sister named Lilyan Iris Crozier (1912-1970. She married Harold Charles Tafel (1906-1979) and Lyle Hendry Lyman (1913-1982)
I bought these photos from Strawberry Fields on The Avenue (West 36th Street) in Baltimore in April 2026.
Above is a photograph of Andrew “Andy” Beltz (1850-1914), a farmer, and Mary E. McClure (1853-1889).
Andy was the son of Isaac Beltz (1818-1889) and Mary Ann Schreck (1831-1879) who were born in Pennsylvania and considered pioneers of Crawford County, OH. Andy lived in Polk Township, OH his entire life. Mary was the daugther of Elias McClure (1828-1895) of Pennsylvania and Elizabeth Reynolds (1832-1917) of Maryland and had also lived in Crawford County her entire life. They married in September 1874. Mary died in a Columbus, OH hospital after surgery to remove a cancerous tumor failed. Andrew died at home, a victim of typhoid fever.
I bought this batch of seven photographs from a shop in Baltimore in 2024. Two of the photographs are inscribed with full names. Let’s start with those.
Below is Charles Harold Church (1888-1909) who died at 21 of typhoid fever after an illness of three weeks. At the time of his death Harold was “employed in the car service of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.” He was the son of William H. Church (1864-1941), a baggage master for the railroad, and Carrie A. Crouse (1866-1942) whose father was a clerk for the railroad. On the reverse of this photograph is an inscription which reads,
“Harold Church
I was engaged to be married to him. Daddy was his best friend. He died when he was 21 years. After he was dead a couple of years, I married Daddy. He said he was in love with me before Harold died for some time.”
Charles Harold Church (1888-1809)Reverse of Charles Harold Church (1888-1909)
Another photograph with identifying information incribed on its reverse was that of “George Lawrence Singewald 2 1/2 years” seen below. A native of San Fransisco, George was the son of John Lawrence Singewald (1886-1967) and Helen A. Lacey (1889-1947). He married Susan Patrina Morgan (1911-2002) in 1934 and they had four children, three sons and a daughter.
“George Lawrence Singewald 2 1/2 years.”Reverse of George Lawrence Singewald 2 1/2 years.
At first look, I was unable to decipher the surname in the above inscription. George Lawrence who? I understood that the surname is Singewald only after seeing that Joseph T. Singewald was one of Harold’s pallbearers. Another of Harold’s pallbearers was Philip E. Reiter. This information convinced me of the identities of Daddy and the author of the notes on the reverses of most of the photographs.
Daddy was Joseph Theophilus Singewald (1882-1945). He worked as a clerk for the railroad in 1910, but afterwards had long career as an auditor for the Internal Revenue Service. He was the son of George Traugott Singewald (1854-1920), a painter and paper hanger whose father was born in Saxony, Germany, and Mary Margaretha Windfelder (1864-1882) who died from “a short illness” about seven weeks after he was born. In 1911 Daddy married Alberta Irene Reiter (1889-1974) who wrote the notes about Daddy on the photographs. They had three daughers. Irene, as she was known, was the daughter of Philip W. Reiter, a freight clerk for the Western Maryland Railroad, and Alberta S. Robinson (1867-1924). Her brother was Philip Edmond Reiter (1889-1974), the above-mentioned pallbearer, who was a clerk for the railroad in 1910.
“Daddy”
Above we see Daddy standing on the steps of 14 North Carey Street, Baltmore which was the home of the Shaftesbury College of Expression from 1906-1930. The college was previously located at 323 N. Charles Street beginning in 1890. Patterson’s American Educational Directory (1914) informs that the “principal” of the college was silent movie actor and Baltimore native Alice May Youse (1863-1938). In “Paradise in a Breakfast Bowl,” an online essay by John Benedict Buescher, we learn that the college was founded by a very interesting character named Webster Edgerly (1852-1926) who used the pseudonym Edmund Shaftesbury. The following two photographs depict Daddy and Irene’s inscriptions are in the captions.
“Daddy” (“Cousin Karl Singewald” is crossed out)“Daddy and his father gave him the picture and the horse.”
Finally, below is a photograph of “Daddy’s brother George.” George Raymond Singewald (1884-1927). George was one of Daddy’s two half-brothers, the other being John Lawrence Singewald (1886-1967) mentioned above. They were sons of George Traugott Singewald (1854-1920) like Daddy, but their mother was Ellen L. Lane (1860-1943). George, a photoengraver, married Harriet Mae “Hattie” Cingcade (1885-1959).
“Daddy’s brother George”
There were two other men named Joseph Theophilus Singewald in Baltimore in Daddy’s time. Joseph Theophilus Singewald, Sr. (1860-1953), a hatter, was a half-brother of Daddy’s father. His son, Joseph Theophilus Singewald, Jr., (1884-1963), was a Johns Hopkins University professor and director of the Maryland Depatrment of Geology, Mines and Water Resources from 1943-1962. The “Karl” whose name is crossed out in the above photograph of Daddy as a toddler was another son of Joseph Theophilus Singewald, Sr., Karl Singewald (1886-1966). Daddy’s obituaries referred to him as “of G.” to distinguish him from the others.
14 North Carey Street, Baltimore in November 2020 (Google Earth Pro)
From Wikipedia: Theophilus is a male given name with a range of alternative spellings. Its origin is the Greek word Θεόφιλος from θεός (theós, “God”) and φιλία (philía, “love or affection”) can be translated as “Love of God” or “Friend of God”, i.e., it is a theophoric name, synonymous with the name Amadeus which originates from Latin, Gottlieb in German and Bogomil or Bogumił in Slavic.
Above is a portrait of Martha Howard “Mattie” Shaw (1870-1941) and the inscription on its reverse. She married Charles Monroe Johnson (1867-1944).
Below is a portrait of Elizabeth Florence “Lizzie” Shaw (1875-1950) and the inscription on it’s reverse. She married John Harman Ezra Coblentz (1878-1956) and their children were Dorothy Elizabeth Coblentz (1908-2005) and John Harman Coblentz (1912-1986).
They were both born in Maryland and were daughters of Charles Henry Shaw (1848-1917) and Mary Jane Mitchell (1848-1879).
I purchased these photographs from shop in Baltimore, MD in late 2025.
The man in the above photograph is Wheelock Thayer Batcheller (1840-1910). He was born in Winsted, CT, to William Gray Batcheller (1811-1844) and Julia Ann Thayer (1817-1900). Wheelock was named for his maternal grandfather, Wheelock Sumner Thayer (1790-1857), who made his fortune manufacturing scythes and hay knives. Wheelock had a big brother named William Henry Batcheller (1837-1907). They’re all buried in Winsted Old Buring Ground.
Wheelock went to work making scythes and hay knives after completing his education in 1855. When war broke out, he enlisted for three months in the 2nd Connecticut Infantry Regiment and served as a company commander under Alfred H. Terry at the First Battle of Bull Run. After that enlistment, he helped organize the 28th Connecticut Infantry Regiement and served until the end of the war having achieved the rank of lieutenent colonel. For the rest of his life he was addressed and refered to as “colonel.”
After the war he became the manager of Thayer Scythe Company and was associated with other businesses until retirement in 1889. A Republican, he was elected to the state legislature in 1879 and chaired the military committee. In 1880 he was elected state comproller on a ticket with Governor H. B. Bigelow. In 1885 he was elected to the state senate.
Wheelock never married and lived with Julia and William, who also never married, on Main Street in Winsted until at least 1900. Wheelock, the last one left, was living in the Hotel Winchester when he died.
Wheelock, like his mother and his brother, was known for his philanthropy, particularly for the benefit of the Litchfield County Hospital. Julia gave the “large and beautiful site” and $2,500 for the hospital which was being built when she died. Among the tens of thousands William Henry gave, he established the Wheelock Thayer Fund of $25,000 for care of the hospitals grounds. Wheelock gave thousands of dollars to the hospital and served as vice-president, director, and chairman of the trustees.
Wheelock’s estate was valued at $532,699.05, a little over $8,000,000 in 2026 dollars, but no will was ever found. In a letter to the editor of the Hartford Courant, titled, “Make Your Will,” published in July, 1911, Joseph Herman Vaill (1837-1915), who was well-acquainted with Wheelock, noted that most of the estate would have surely gone to the hospital but, with no will, would instead go to relatives who were not heirs and “so distant that the Colonel rarely if ever saw them.” In October 1912 it was announced that “the heirs of Col. W. T. Batcheller” had donated $10,000 to the hospital to establish the William H. Batcheller Nurses Home Fund.
Below is an image of the Litchfield County Hospital from a postcard (Yale Library).
The inscription on the reverse of the above photograph says “Aunt Mary Hackman’s School.” At the bottom of the photograph is a partially concealed placard that reads “Hawksville School” and a date in probably 1926. I bought the photograph at a shop in Baltimore called Strawberry Fields in 2025.
Mary V. Hackman (1905-1952) is the tallest person on the back row. I was unable to identify any of her students. Mary taught at Hawksville School during 1925-1926, and possibly for a few years more. Mary taught in Lancaster County, PA schools for 28 years. Her other schools included Quaryville HIgh School, Buck School, Mt. Airy School, and a school in Martic Township.
Mary was the daugther of Samuel R. Hackman (1867-1928) and Catherine Fulton (1872-1927). In June of 1930. She married Clarence C. Gainer (1906-1932) who died after an accidental fire in spite of Mary’s “valiant rescue, made in vain.” She married Daniel Myers Dull (1882-1975) in April of 1935.
The Hawksville School started in 1823. The brick schoolhouse where Mary taught was built in 1880. The private Hawksville Amish School now uses the building to serve 24 students in grades 1-8. Below are two other photographs of the school. The first one is from a 1923 article in The News Journal of Lancaster, and the second one is a GoogleMaps image from September 2025.
I hope someone reading this will tell me what Mary’s middle name was.
Well, as soon as I flipped over the next photograph on my desk I realized that I also had a phogograph of Daniel Hicks Chandler (1792-1864), husband of the subject of my previous post, Mary Webster Stark Chandler (1791-1873).
Daniel’s first wife was Hipzibah W. Chandler (1796-1824). All I could learn about Hipzibah I learned from her Find a Grave memorial.
Hipzibah and Daniel had one daughter, Cornelia Hepzibah Chandler (1822-1879), the wife of George Gould Blodgett (1823-1879), and the mother of three children.
Above we see a portrait of Mary Webster Stark Chandler (1791-1873). The photographer was G. Frank E. Pearsall. Pearsall opened his gallery at 298 Fultan Street, Brooklyn, NY in August 1872 and Mary died in November 1873, so we can date the photograph fairly accurately. I purchased this photograph from a shop on The Avenue in Baltimore, MD in May 2025.
Mary was born in Connecticut, the daughter of Israel Stark (1753-1830), who served as a corporal in the American Revolutionary War, and Mary Anna Webster (1756-1800). She was one of the wives of Daniel Hicks Chandler (1792-1864), a lawyer and judge. They married in Batavia, NY on 24 December 1824 and moved to Milwaukee, WI in 1848. They had three sons:
1. Robert “Bob” Chandler (1827-1873) married Fanny D. Cooke (1835-1903) was a lawyer practicing in Milwaukee when he joined the Iron Brigade, as adjutant general. He died insane in a “Government asylum” in Washington, DC.
2. Ralph Chandler (1829-1889) who married Sara Cornelia Bates Redfield (1829-1891). Ralph joined the U.S. Navy in 1845 and attended the U.S. Naval Academy. In 1886 he was commissioned as rear admiral and sent to relieve the commander of the Asiatic Squadron. He died of apoplexy in February 1889 and is buried in Hong Kong Cemetery.
3. Walter Seymour Chandler (1836-1896) who married Sarah Olivia Kneeland (1838-1911), the daughter of an early settler of Milwaukee. Walter was in the lumber business.
Reverse of Mary Webster Stark Chandler Portrait; “Admiral Chandler’s Mother”
Levin Willey (1812-1870) of York, PA wrote a letter to his brother on 28 December 1854. There are many details in the letter and, as tempting as it was, I did not try to resolve all of the questions I had. The family is well-documented in databases and, no doubt, genealogists will find much to learn from it.
Three things in the letter enabled me to confirm the letter’s author and the date of the letter. Levin told his brother, “The Rail Roads which I am engaged on have consolidated, that is united and now form one company from Balto to Sunbury, a distance of 140 miles. This in addition to the [word] boiler and the Hanover Branch Road will give me my hands full, but I have made up my mind that a man can do almost anything if he determinedly makes up his mind that he will do it, hence I have no fear but what I can manage the repairs of the whole line to the satisfaction to myself and the company.” An item in Baltimore Sun published two years before Levin wrote this letter confirms this information:I first thought the author’s given name was Alvin and did find three newspaper articles about a railroad man named Alvin Willey in York, but there were dozens more about Albert Willey (1845-1888). Albert turned out to be Levin Willey’s son, and “Alvin” turned out to be an apparent combination of Albert and Levin. Albert was a distinguished railroad man himself, but he sold out and moved his family to Philadelphia where he died in 1888 leaving a widow and three children. At the time of his death he was the switch tender at the tower at [N] 52nd Street.
Albert was executor of the estates of both of his parents. In Levin’s case, one of the documents he filed after Levin’s death in 1870 was an 1868 claim to be compensated for a “board tent which was destroyed on the Shrewsbury Camp Meeting Ground in Shrewsbury Township, York County, PA., in the Fall of 1862 by the Union Soldiers under command of Col. Kane, while they were encamped on said Ground. –Said tent being worth 65.00.” It was by comparing the signature on the letter with the signature on the claim that I confirmed the name of the letter’s author. You can read more about the campground and the incident here.
Finally, Levin informed his brother that “Nat Johnson has got his second wife. Nat owns the mill which belonged to my father and is making money.” That mill is now known as Abbott’s Mill. Levin’s father was Nathan Willey (1775-1812). According to a Fall 1984 article in The Archeolog, the mill to which he refers is now known as Abbott’s Mill Nature Center in Millford, DE.
Here is a transcript of the text. Let me know if you spot a typo.
York, Dec 28th 1854 Dear Brother I received your letter this day and happy to hear of your continued good health and prospects and hope a long continuance of the same blessings. You wish to know where your Father died and where buried. I made the inquiry when in Del. and I think I was told he died at his son Jacob’s. He was buried by the side of Mother. Your inquiry in regard to Nancy and Rachel, I can only answer in part. They are both married in living in the Western Country somewhere. Nancy married Shadrack Postles. Rachel married a Macklin, and I think a son of old Nutter Macklin. I have not either of them for the last ten years. Sarah Willey is married to a man by the name of Samuel Downey, a boiler maker, and resides in Wilmington, Del. You may perhaps remember Downey. He worked and lived in Newcastle when you was there. Downey is sober industrious man and makes a good living. They have one child living, an interesting little girl of seven or eight years. I was in Wilmington last summer and brought Sarah and her daughter home with me. They spent two weeks with us and was much pleased with the place and people. Elizabeth Jane is married to a young man in Wilmington and has one child. Mary Ann is a Tailoress and lives in Wilmington. Maranda the youngest of Alexanders children lives with Benjamin Point and has for the last ten years after the marriage of Rachel Ann their daughter they adopted Maranda and [word] her as their daughter up this time. Old Charley Palmer is still the same old Cock that he was when you saw him last, neither better nor older to all appearances. Mrs. Palmer is still living and looks as well as she did many years ago. John Eckes is farming on the farm belonging to Bill Booth out of New Castle. John is doing well, has a home full of boys and is still very religious. I cannot think of any others just at this time in NewCastle that you could take any particular interest in. I received a letter from Wm N. Slayton a short time ago. The people are generally well in Sussex. I have not heard from Elizabeth since I wrote you and cannot say how they are getting along. but I fear bad enough. Manlore Johnson and old Beck are [word], which is bad enough. Old Duck is farming in Cedar Neck and doing very well. I stayed one night with him while in Del. He is the same old Duck, loves to play old sledge and drink whiskey but is the same good hearted clever fellow as of twenty years ago. Old Jim Taterman married Jinny five or six years ago. He is now one of the fatest old rascals in the county. John A. Collins has a house full of children but no wife, I mean legally. I was to see old Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Lizzy Johnson. The old man is getting very feeble but the old lady is as fat as ever. Mary Ding, or Ben as you used to call her is at home with the old folks and looks better and handsomer than she did twenty years back. Analiza married Nathan Fleming and has been dead seven or eight years. Sally married a Stuart. Sally Ann Stuart, Phillip Stuart’s wife is married to old Bill [word]. Sam Wilkinson who no doubt you remember was arrested the other day for robbing the U.S. mail. He will now wind up where he ought to have been twenty years ago. Old John Hays has got his second wife and several children. With the exception of his grey head he looks as young as when you saw him last. Tom Hays is living and about the same. His daughter Eliza Ann is dead. Old Aunt Katy Hays is living or was in August, but blind and very feeble. The farmers have improved their land very much in Sussex and many important changes have take place since you was there. Nat Johnson has got his second wife. Nat owns the mill which belonged to my father and is making money. It is said Black Elic, John, Sam, and Dave are all living. Crow Black I suppose you know married Sally Macklin. The others are all single. The Rail Roads which I am engaged on have consolidated, that is united and now form one company from Baltimore to Sunbury, a distance of 140 miles. This in addition to the [word] boiler and Hanover Branch Road will give me my hands full. But I have made up my mind that a man can do almost anything if he determinedly makes up his mind that he will do it, hence, I have no fear but that I can manage the repairs to the whole line to the satisfaction to myself and the company. I have been making my arrangements to come to come to see you in January if possible and I know of nothing at this time that will prevent it. I shall bring with me the superintendent of transportation and we intend to make an exploring expedition among other Rail Roads there by attend to business and pleasure at the same time. If everything proves favorable we shall leave about 10th January. We are all well. Had a happy Christmas and hope you had the same. Money matters are very [word] here at this time but it is expected that after the10th January it will be easier. Write immediately on the reception of this as I would like hear from you beforehand. Tell me if you have plenty of game in your country and what kind. I would very much like to kill some prairie chickens. Your Affectionate Brother, Levin Willey If there are any words in this letter you can’t make out you will excuse them and all mistakes for I had just one hour to write it in.
Charles Yessler Hake (1881-1961) operated the Penn Park Photographic Gallery for 15 years until 1922.
